Will everyone please STOP the extremely tone deaf 'Christmas Fridge' threads

[TempNameForObviousReasons]

I see these multiple threads every single year and they drive me bonkers. The four days leading up to Christmas Day my feed is inundated with all the stuffed fridges, it's a complete and utter disgrace. Not just a few posters but sometimes literally hundreds of you all joining in with these enormous overflowing fridges, it's barbaric and in incredibly poor taste. I have already seen THREE seperate fridge threads today alone, it's scandalous... please people just think about what you are doing by jumping on this bandwagon. Now I take this a bit personally and here is why.... There are people in this world who are starving and many families, mine included, are having to rely on food banks this year just to keep our children fed. As in dippy eggs and soldiers on Xmas eve. Many of us are in a dire state with finances and the pressures of Xmas. The fridge threads are incredibly upsetting and triggering. By all means have a nice christmas dinner with all the trimmings but why post it and rub it in the faces of those less fortunate? They will be very lucky to scrape together a very basic dinner for the family this year?

I so look forward to seeing everybody's gluttonous greed in full swing, fridges stuffed full of obscene amounts of food and alcohol that will most likely go to waste. (And waistlines. The greed of Christmas it's all totally out of control and I despair)
All the cheese boards, cheesecakes, cheeselets, and on and on and on.
Honestly I wish MNHQ would BAN the threads, they cause many people anguish and distress.
It is one day so please keep some perspective or even better, pop a selection pack or some small treats in a collection trolley to help all the fantastic homeless charities and food banks ensure more people can enjoy a sweet treat on christmas day.

(Thanks to my local foodbank and those who kindly donated, at least me and my children have a lovely box of celebrations that I will bring out on Christmas Day for us) 🙂

@TempNameForObviousReasons Well said, I also cringe at the supermarket adverts. Never once do they show someone on their own, for example. They could also coordinate a reduced cost or free meal system for Christmas, because let's face it they could afford it.
I work in a Foodbank and your gratitude is very gratefully received, we understand how you feel. No-one wants to come to us but that's what we're there for, people come for all sorts of reasons and we don't judge.
I don't understand the trend of showing others how much you have, my mum used to say it's vulgar.

There will always be other people that have things we want. Things will go better for other people than us at all points of life.

What I have learnt is that it is far better to he happier for other people than to be jealous.

Look at this thread and your anger. Jealousy and bitterness will do you no favours, including in turning your life around.

@Ladybridgerton25 just checked and, yeah 😬 Not a pleasant individual.

Thanks guys.

They seem to have disappeared….

My fridge looks no different from normal. There are only two of us, and apart from having something nice for dinner on Christmas Day (which is in the freezer) I haven't bought anything extra. From past experience, I tire of 'festive food' by Boxing Day at the latest.

It's mildly interesting to see what others have bought. I can understand why it would be upsetting for someone who couldn't afford to buy special food over Christmas, but anyone who goes online, or even who doesn't, is going to be confronted with spectacles of extravagances they can't personally afford - many far more extreme than a fridge full of cheese and brandy butter. Unfortunately that's a consequence of wealth inequality in this country, a problem that runs far deeper than fridge photos at Christmas.

Totally, totally agree. I hope you have a very special family Christmas xx

Don’t read them ffs. Like you I am totally skint and Xmas is a quiet affair this year/ I don’t mind the threads though and if I did I’d simply scroll by

There is absolutely nothing morally wrong with this

Why on earth people can’t celebrate this fact without coming on here to deliberately share it with strangers to get a reaction is beyond me

I come on mumsnet for debate and advice, not to show pictures of what I have so others can judge it

I have also used food banks, have also been in poverty, am in a really not great financial situation atm due to unforeseen circumstances over the summer.

You are not the judge and jury of other people, deciding no one else can have anything because you don't.

Our local foodbank (low cost food hub by referral) did a Christmas one this week anyway so I could also post the biscuits, chocolate, advent calendar that we got.

If you have children, you can't post them because others can't have them. If you have family, you can't post because others don't. In fact it's offensive that you even post on here as some people don't have a device or connection. We should all just spread misery until you decide what people can post...

I work in a Foodbank and there are all sorts of reasons why people have to come to us.
UC might be seen as the wonderful sticking plaster but it is approximately a third less than it takes to pay usual bills.
If you're living close to the bread line all it takes is a car that needs fixing or a washing machine to break and you don't have enough money for everything that month. Please don't say, well they should have savings, many people try to save but when your incomings match your outgoings how can you.
We had a lady recently, in her 50's, who had put a small amount of money in her kids cards for their present for Christmas and that meant she didn't have enough to buy all the food she needed. "She shouldn't have given her grown up children her last few quid" maybe her children struggle financially too and she felt she was giving them a treat.
I'm not saying this is what you personally think but I've seen and heard this kind of response from MPs and ordinary people alike.

Conspicuous consumption used to be considered vulgar, but it is now apparently socially acceptable in some circles. Pretty ghastly if you ask me.

YABU though because you don't have to open the threads.

Fridges are likely to be full if you’re hosting at Christmas.
Posting online about said fridges is odd to me.

@TempNameForObviousReasons I hope you and your family enjoy your Christmas.

@TempNameForObviousReasons where do you think the line should be drawn as people post about all sorts that somebody else doesn’t have.

should nobody mention going on holiday as some posters can’t afford to do that? Nobody should mention kids birthday parties as some people can’t afford those neither, how about moaning about your job as obviously some MN’s can’t work so we best not mention that neither.

as plenty of people have said, if it’s going to upset you just don't open the thread, even if it’s in active you still do t need to open it.

It’s ghastly to have a full fridge over Christmas?

TempNameForObviousReasons, if you despise these type of threads, why don’t you go & do something else??

There are some very insecure people on Mumsnet who take a bizarre interest in kicking an OP when they’re down

i hope all of you can gather together next year to celebrate the 21st Dec again

On that day, people bravely defended other stranger’s right to post pictures of their food

YABU, just dont click the threads. People are allowed to discuss their christmas food shop

Haven’t seen these threads, they don’t sound particularly interesting so probably wouldn’t open anyway. Sorry you are struggling to pay for food. Maybe just don’t read them. For a lot of people it’s a time of year where you can indulge a little but also eat festive food you wouldn’t usually eat the rest of the year. We have bought lots of picky pits and a few treats for this week as we are all home, we certainly won’t waste anything, hate food waste. Usually we’d eat at work / school but are all home this week. Usually I budget for the weekly food shop but I guess I have spent a little more for this week, not a silly amount more. YABU.

Ah ffs don’t be pedantic @callmelover

It is not ghastly to have a full fridge over Christmas

I personally think it’s ghastly to take a picture of the inside of it, post it on the Internet, then sit back and wait for people to celebrate you.

It’s so fucking bizarre to me that I even have to defend my position on this because so many are such ardent defenders of the fridge thread 🤣🤣

OP has posted some horrible views about SEN children and a month ago posted about getting Invisalign. OP is just being a dick for the sake of it.

This is a lifestyle site. People post that sort of thing.

I haven’t seen any but cannot fathom why an image of someone’s fridge would ever be of interest.

A lot of people find certain topics “triggering”, I know I do. That’s what the HIDE button is for, try using it and let others live their lives.

I really don’t care what OP posted before - I find it quite disturbing that people are using their past posts as some sort of court evidence to invalidate anything they’re saying here.

I don’t agree with OP’s previous posts on SEN but I am not going to use that as a lens to judge their comments on fridge threads.

I am simply looking at what the fridge threads debate is about and commenting on that alone

The other thing about savings is that they can't be easily replenished in times of hardship. Someone may have savings to cover the first crisis (period of unemployment, boiler breakdown etc) but if you have one crisis then the next then the next - which you are more likely to, in poverty, because circumstances are likely to be more precarious for you - then you'll have used your savings up and potentially now be relying on (expensive) borrowing for things like winter coats and boiler repair.